Tomato, Pomodoro Pizzutello di Paceco

Quick facts

• Traditionally grown in drought conditions
• Salty soil tolerant
• Winter tomato
• Italian heirloom
• Pointy tips
• Slow Food Ark of Taste Variety
• LOW IMPACT FOOD ALERT! No processing necessary for winter eating and low water needs for growing.
• KEEPING KITCHEN GARDEN TRADITIONS ALERT! Pomodoro Pizzutello di Paceco is a rare, traditional variety used by kitchen gardeners for hanging in clusters and eating through the winter.

Solanum lycopersicum

This winter (aka ramallet, aka pienollo) tomato is quite distinct from the other winter tomatoes we grow because they grow on the stems like a long ladder, with fruits directly alternating sides from each other on long stems, with about an inch between each fruit as opposed to growing more in clusters.  Because of this, I would refer to Pomodoro Pizzutello as being very indeterminate, with fruit ripening progressively over a long season on this long stem.  Being "very indeterminate" they need trellising and I find the classic round tomato cage works really well for these naturally leggy, but not super leafy, plants.

Clip the stems of mature and immature fruit, which hold around 8-15 fruits each, and hang them inside when frost threatens.  The skins of Pomodoro Pizzutello di Paceco are also some of the thickest of the ramallets (piennolos), allowing them to keep for a long time hanging like this.  

Pizzutello di Paceco is an heirlooms with a rich history of being grown for well over a century in Paceco, Italy.  Here they are traditionally grown in heavy clay soil under drought conditions and a known to be somewhat salt tolerant.  

Flavor is robust and tomato-y, getting more and more flavorful overtime as they dry.  We love to broil or grill them once they've dried down a little bit, and then add them to homemade Mediterranean pizza. Its so comforting to have them hanging in the kitchen in winter, like bright red edible ornaments.

Ramallet tomatoes (as they are called in Spain), also known as winter tomatoes and piennolo tomatoes (in Italy), refers to a class of Mediterranean heirloom tomatoes that grow in clusters or tresses.  Fruit tresses are strung up at the end of the season and stored at room temperature for fresh eating, ripe and unripe fruit alike.  Fruits have thicker skins than ordinary tomatoes and ripen progressively.  As they dry off the vine like this, their flavor becomes concentrated.  Fruits are great for fresh eating, drying further to sundried tomatoes, and/or saucing.  If you're into self-sufficiency and eating well in all four seasons, this is the tomato for you.  A great choice for short season climates with long winters!  Read about this traditional Mediterranean method for storing tomatoes here.  

Ramallet tomato varieties are considered culturally significant and by the Slow Food Ark of Taste.  Read a super fascinating history of ramallet tomatoes from the food historians at Slow Foods here!

How to grow it: